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. INVENTUH WWW l/U ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 13,1891.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT, OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. MOORE, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

CENTER-BOARD FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,501 dated January 13, 1891.

Application filed June 20, 1890. Serial No. 356,172. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, F ANoIs M. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to deflecting centerboards for sailing vessels; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as hereinafter specified.

The object of the invent-ion is to obviate or overcome the drifting of a vessel -to leeward or with the tide, as the center-board may be placed at an angle with relation to the keel of the boat.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan View with the top of the outer trunk removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical end section through the line a: 00 of Fig. 1.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates a casing or trunk adapted to be secured within a vessel in the usual manner. I have shown the trunkA and prefer to make it with converging sides, so that its after end will have the greatest width. This construction not only allows for the deflecting of the inner trunk with the center-board, as hereinafter described, but eeonomizes space in the hold of a vessel.

l3 designates the inner deflecting trunk,havin g a center-board C movable vertically within it, as here shown, on the pin 0; but the centerboard may operate vertically within the trunk 13 in any desired manner, it being necessary only for the purpose of my invention that the center-board swing horizontally with the deflecting trunk. The forward end of the trunk, 13 has a pivotal or hinge connect-ion Ct with the inner surface of the end Wall ct of the stationary trunk A, so that the inner trunk, carrying the center-board, may be deflected or swung horizontally in the are of a circle. As a means for deflecting the trunk and center-board within the stationary trunk, I provide gearing, which may be described as follows:

D is a vertical rotary shaft, having a stepbearing (Z at its lower end within the trunk A and extended through a bearing (1 in the top of the trunk. The shaft D has gearwheels I) rigidly affixed to it within the trunk A, engaging with longitudinally-curved racks 11', secured to the end of the trunk B.

It is obvious that a rotary movement of the shaft D will impart motion to the trunk B, and that said trunk may be held at any desired adjustment. The shaft D may be held by a ratchet mechanism above deck, if so'desired.

I have here shown the shaft D as having a pinion e at its upper end engaging with a pinion e on a rotary shaft E, which may extend above the vessels deck and be provided with a hand-wheel 6 This shaft E and the pinions e 6 may be omitted and the shaft D extended and provided with a hand-wheel, if so desired, without departing from the spirit of my invention; or, in fact, any well-known mechanical devices may be employed to rotate the shaft D from any part of a vessel.

The center-board G has the usual rod or rope connection a for operating it vertically, and to prevent unnecessary friction the top of the trunk A may have an arc-shaped slot for the passage of the connection 6 I am aware that a deflecting center-board is not broadly new; but such center-boards as heretofore constructed are objectionable, as they are not sufficiently braced against the great strain brought against them.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a vessel, the combination, with a stationary trunk, of a longitudinally-swinging trunk within the first-named trunk, carrying a center-board, substantially as specified.

2. In a vessel, the combination, with a stationary trunk having converging sides, of a deflecting trunk within the first-n amed trunk,

a. eenter'hoawl therein, and mechanism for Signed at Bl'ooklylnin the county of Kings, deflecting the said inner trunk, substantially l and State of New York, thislfiith dayof June, as specified. -A. D, 1890.

3. In a vessel, the combination, with a sta- 5 tionary trunk, of a deflecting trunk within FRANCIS M. MOORE.

the first-named trunk and carrying a centerhoard, a rack or racks 0n the deflecting trunk, Wiuiesses:

a rotary shaft, and a gear-wheel 0r gear- JOHN J. LANGAN, wheels on said shaft engaging with the rack H. S. NORRIS, Jr. IO or racks, substantially as specified. 

